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Get a grip – close up look at the G9’s battery grip

Posted by Damien Demolder on 29 November 2017 at 12:07 pm

Panasonic DMW-BGG9 battery grip attached to the Lumix G9

I thought you might like a closer look at the battery grip for the Lumix G9. It’s called DMW-BGG9 (catchy!) and is designed specifically for the camera – it doesn’t fit any others. If you pre-order the G9 before 14th January in the UK this grip comes free (see the Panasonic site for details), but even after the offer is over it is an accessory worth considering especially if you shoot a lot of upright compositions. The vertical grip element makes the camera more comfortable for portraits for example, but also for anyone who works handheld in a variety of orientations. It is true that the grip makes the camera much bigger, and perhaps bigger than some people feel micro four thirds cameras should be, but you don’t have to keep it on all the time. I fit mine when it’s needed and remove it when it isn’t.

Panasonic DMW-BGG9 battery grip extra battery compartment

Unsurprisingly, the battery grip not only makes the camera more comfortable for upright shooters, it also houses an extra battery. With the battery loaded the camera’s display shows that you have access to a pair of batteries and will switch between them automatically when one becomes exhausted. Users can also decide themselves which of the two batteries they want to use first.

Panasonic DMW-BGG9 battery grip control points

The grip offers plenty of control points that give us access to the main functions we need to work during shooting. We have the three main features from the top plate, as well as two dials to control them and to deal with aperture/shutter speed – and of course a shutter release button. The grip can also be switched off to avoid accidental exposures.

You can see here that Panasonic has attempted to mirror the feel of the controls on the grip with those on the top plate of the camera so that users will have the a similar experience whichever way the camera is held.

Panasonic DMW-BGG9 battery grip showing the new toggle switch

The grip also has the same sort of toggle switch controller that the G9 body uses, so that AF points can be shifted from the grip just as easily as from the body. We also have an AE/AF lock button.